Toy phonograph.



L. A. COLLiNS.

TOY PHONOGRAPH.

APPLICATION mm flOV 2|. 191s.

Pabenteil Nov. 6, 191?.

LEE A. CGLLINS, OF LGUISVILLE, KEEITUGKY.

' roY rnonosnarz-i.

Specification of Letters Patent.

iatented Nov. 6, 3191? Application filed November 211, 191G. Serialiil'o. 132,671.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, LEE A. CoLLINs, acitizenof the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jeffersonand 6 State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Toy Phonographs,-of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved phonograph and has as its primaryobject to provide a device of this character which will constitute anattractive toy.

The invention has as afurther object to provide a toy phonographdesigned for attachment to a wall or other support and which may beeasily mounted in position to be operated.

- And the invention has as a still further object to provide'an improvedand simple means for manually operating the phono-' ferred embodiment ofthe invention and wherein similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my im- 36 proved phonograph showing themanner in which the device may be connected to a wall or other supportand particularly illustrating the mechanism employed for manuallyrotating the record carriage of the phonograph.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device with the sound box removed, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a slightly'modifiedform of operating mechanism for the device.

In carrying out the invention, my 1mproved phonograph is formed with abody or frame including upper and lower parallel bars 10 and 11connected at their inner ex tremities by a transversely extending stripor attaching member 12 and at their outer extremities by an upstandingpost 13. The frame may be integrally formed, if desired or if preferred,the attaching member 12 5 and the post 13 be connected to the bars 10and 11 in any approved manner. The attaching member 12 projects, at itsextremities, above and below the bars 10 and 11 for receiving screws orother suitable fastening devices 14 by which the device may be connectedto a wall or other support as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawing. The post 13 is extended above the bar 10 and at its upper endis provided with an upstanding pivot pin 15. Mounted to swing about thispin, is a sound box 16. This sound box is formed with a laterallyextending arm 17 which, adjacent its free extremity, is directedupwardly and pro Vided with an opening to freely receive the pin 15 withthe arm thus pivotally connecting the sound box with the post 13. Thesound box 16 is hollow and extending forwardly and outwardly from theupper side thereof is a suitable horn 18. Closing the front side of thesound box 16 is a diaphragm 19 of approved character and connected tothe said diaphragm is a pivoted stylus 20. At its lower extremity, the.stylus is formed to detachably receive the usual needle 21. The soundbox and its associated parts as thus described provides the reproducingmechanism of the phonograph.

Rotatably mounted upon the frame of the device is a record carriageincluding a shaft 22 extending. transversely through the bars 10 and 11of the frame and suitably journaled therein. Connected to the lower endof the shaft is a suitable washer 23 confronting the bar 11 and fittedover the upper extremity of the said shaft is a washer 24. ltemovablyfitted on the upper extremity of the shaft to rotate therewith andseating against the said washer is a record receiving member This memberis preferably formed of crossed strips secured togetherattheir-intersection and bored to snugly receive the upper terminal of theshaft, as particularly shown in Fig. 1. The shaft 22 is preferablyprovided with a reduced upper terminal 26 projecting above the saidmember for removably receiving a record disk as conventionally shown at27 in Fig. 1. Connected to the upper sides of thestrips of the recordreceiving member 25 are facings 28 which may be formed of cardboard,cloth,

or other soft material.- These facings are Y disposed to receive thedisk 27 and will prevent the scratching thereof as well as rotation ofthe disk independent of the member As particularly shown in Fig.1, the

record receiving carriage is disposed to support the disk 27 with theneedle 21 resting thereagainst in the usual manner.. For removing thedisk, the sound box is swung to one side upon the pivot pin 15.

Mounted upon the lower bar 11 of the frame at opposite sides of theshaft 22 are pulleys 29 and 30.

These pulleys are received in suitable slots in the said bar and arerotatably supported by pivot pins 31 extending transversely through thebar. Trained over the pulleys 29 and 30 is an endless flexible elementor cord 32 which is wrappedaround the shaft 22 of the record receivingcarriage. The shaft 22 is preferably formed with a squared portion 33for receiving the cord so that the cord may grip the shaft withoutslipping. In this connection, attention is directed to the fact that theroller 29 is somewhat larger than the roller 30. The reaches of the cordbetween the said rollers and the shaft 22 will thus be supported by thesaid rollers one above the other so that the cord will not becometangled about the said shaft. The cord 32 is arranged to depend in aloop below the rollers and is threaded loosely through a Weightedelement 34 adapted to tension the cord about the shaft 22.

In use, the record disk 27 is positioned upon the member 25, aspreviously described, and the needle 21 rested upon the disk adjacentits 'outer margin, in the usual man ner. The cord 32 is then grasped bythe right hand of the operator below the pulley 29 with the fingers ofthe left hand loosely engaging the cord below the pulley 30. The

cord is then pulled downwardly by the right hand to rotate the shaft andconse quently rotate the disk 27 when the needle 21 and its associatedparts will act to reproduce the record upon the disk. As the cord ispulled downwardly by the right hand, the fingers of the left hand areemployed to tension the cord for regulating the speed of the rotarymovement of the record receiving carriage with the weight 34: acting totens1on the cord about the squared portion 33 of the shaft 22 to preventthe said cord from slipping.

It will, therefore, be seen that I provide an exceedingly simpleconstruction for the purpose set forth and a device of a nature toprovide an exceedingly attractive toy.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, I have illustrated a slight modification ofthe invention which relates more particularly to the operating mechanismfor the record receiving carriage of the device. In this modification,the shaft of the said carriage is indicated at 22 and the pulleys atopposite sides of the said shaft at 29' and 30 respectively, all ofthese parts being identical with the preferred form of the invention.Trained over the pulleys 29 and 30' and wrapped about the squaredportion of the said shaft is a flexible element or cord one end of whichis free and to the opposite end of which is connected a weighted element36. The free end of the cord is grasped and pulled in one directionuntil the weight 36 moves to a position adjacent the pulley 29. Then,by-

loosening the grasp upon the free end of the cord, the weight 36 willgravitate to rotate the shaft 22' and consequently turn the recordreceiving carriage, the grasp upon the free end of the cord beingemployed for tensioning the cord to regulate the speed of rotation ofthe carriage In some instances, it may be found preferable to employthis modified arrangement and it will beseen that the constructionprovides a very simple and device.

Having thus descrilied my invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A de ice of the character described including a oody, a recordreceiving carriage rotatably mounted thereon and including a shaft,reproducing mechanism mounted upon the body to cooperate with a recordarranged upon the carriage, and manually 0p arable means connected tosaid shaft for rotating the carriage, said means including an endlessflexible element wrapped about the shaft and normally extendingtherefrom to provide a loop, and a weighted element.

threaded upon the said flexible element and received by the saidloopwith the said weighted element normally tensioning said fl xible elementabout the shaft.

2. A device of the character described in: cluding a body frame, arecord receiving carriage rotatably mounted thereon and including ashaft, reproducing mechanism mounted upon the frame to cooperate with arecord upon said carriage, pulleys mounted upon the frame at oppositesides of the said shaft, and a flexible element arranged about the saidshaft and trained over said pulleys with the said flexible elementoperable for rotating the said carriage.

3. A device of the character described inpluding a body frame providedwith spaced Jars, said bars at one extremity of the frame, a postconnecting the bars at the opposite extremity of the frame, a recordreceiving carriage mounted upon the frame and including a shaftextending transversely between and journaled upon said bars, reproducingmechanism mounted upon the said post to cotiperate with a recordarranged upon the an attaching member connecting the f 1-10 carriage,and a flexible element connected a record arranged I 5. A device of thecharacter deseribed inelement arranged to be grasped for manuclucling abody, a record receiving carriage ally rotating the carriage, and meansslidrotutfably mounted thereon and including am able upon said flexibleelement and acting to shaft,reprod11eing mechanism mounted upon normallytension the element about said 5 the body to cooperate with a recordarranged shaft.

upon the carriage, an endless flexible ele- In testimony WhereofI afiixmy signature. ment Wrapped about the shaft with the Said LEE A. COLLINS.

